Notebook Critic

Sure, there are notebooks available today that use this mobile video card format but can anyone really say that the concept has achieved success?

A few years ago when Nvidia and ATI launched MXM and Axiom there was reason to be excited. One of the key reasons that notebooks lagged desktops was that they were a dead end in many ways – most had their CPUs and GPUs soldered to the motherboard. These new card formats would make the GPU upgradable.

Today, socketed CPUs are common. Axiom is gone, but MXM modules abound. You would never know this though. Many notebooks designs effectively lock the MXM module by hiding it away from access panels. This diminishes the likleyhood of users attempting upgrades. The Toshiba A300 is an example of this.

Another issue is the lack of add in boards. Users looking to upgrade have to seek out a small number of vendors who sell the MXM boards. Its up to the user to educate themselves on the three form factors and to research what video bios works on their hardware. The upgrades are typically not supported – even if you use a module from your vendor. Recently I reviewed the Acer Aspire 6920G and it fell into this category.

Compatibility seems to be broken on a regular basis too. Whether its the heat interface or the electronics, it seems very few people who bought MXM compatible notebooks one generation ago have the ability to upgrade to today’s GPUs. I am thinking specifically of people who bought Dell XPS 17″ notebooks. Those would still be viable gaming systems with an Nvidia 9800m GT GPU.

I guess the point of this post is to remind you not to get hung up on a feature like MXM. Most future proofing features are of dubious value. In future reviews I will point out wheather this feature is present and list compatible modules – clearly pointing out when none exist.